What are pathways?
Canvas Credentials Pathways allows users to stack Open Badges, like stepping stones, into learning pathways to map out a curriculum. This provides administrators the ability to easily track group and individual progress across coursework, training series and programs.
The pathways system is flexible enough to allow for different branches and segments, with required and optional steps that light up the path and direct the learner on what steps to take next. Learning pathways may contain and culminate in milestone badges that are automatically awarded when lower branches of the pathway are fulfilled.
Note: Admin and instructors can sync badges and pathways when a course is associated with a Blueprint course.
Creating or editing a pathway
To create a pathway, users should start from the Issuers tab. And then create or select the issuer under which you want to create a pathway. From the issuer page, select the Pathways tab and then select the Create pathway button to get started.
A pathway and its completion badge must be "authored" by one of your issuers in Canvas Credentials, with the completion badge of the pathway coming from the issuer the pathway is authored under.
After selecting the Create pathway button, users will need to provide a name and description for the pathway and choose if the pathway will appear on public pages. The name and description of the pathway are displayed on the pathway completion card and in the first section of the pathway details window.
After the pathway has been created, users will land on the pathway overview page. From here users can select the ellipsis button and choose Edit pathway from the list to begin authoring the pathway.
If the View pathway progress button is selected, users will need to select the ellipsis on the completion step to begin editing the pathway.
Since pathways are authored right to left, the first step when authoring a pathway is to select a completion badge that you want to automatically award when a group member completes the pathway. To do this, use the right panel to attach a badge to the completion step by selecting the Select completion badge button and choosing a badge from the list.
Canvas Credentials Pathways recognizes Canvas Credentials awards from different sources, including Canvas courses and bulk or individual badge awards. If the pathway completion badge may be earned outside the pathway, you may wish to check the box on the completion step.
To add additional steps to your pathway, first select the step tile in the pathway for editing. If you're adding a new step to the pathway users will need to name the step and add an optional description. After the step is named users can add required badges or milestone badges. Users can additionally use the pencil icon on the step to edit the step contents; use the arrows to move the step to a different location along the pathway where indicated; or use the trashcan icon to delete the step.
Pathway organization
Steps are organized in a child and parent structure. Parent-level steps can be set up as either required badges or milestone badges. Child-level steps at the far left of the pathway can only be required badges. Milestone badges are visually represented with a badge on the right and are automatically awarded when criteria are fulfilled. Required badges are visually represented with badges on the left and are awarded manually or via a Canvas Credentials LTI in an LMS.
Pathway authors can set up flexible criteria for milestone badge awards. There are two ways authors can manage their pathway criteria. The first is defining which and how many required badges a learner must earn in order to complete the requirements for the parent step. The second is to define which and how many children steps must be completed in order to complete the parent step. This allows authors to create diverse learning pathways that can further engage learners.
Pathway example
Using the example below, once the pathway follower earns both the child-step required badges, the parent milestone badge is automatically awarded. Then, once the required badge in the middle column is earned, the pathway is completed and the pathway completion badge is automatically awarded.
- Be sure to publish your pathway before subscribing users
- Be cautious about making edits to the pathway once followers begin their journey
To track users along a learning pathway, they must be a member of a group that is subscribed to a pathway. More than one group can subscribe to a pathway and more than one pathway can be subscribed to a group. For more information on subscribing groups to pathways see our article.
